Macon County

The governor made the announcement Monday, a little more than a week after saying electronic bingo casinos were operating in the state illegally.

Bentley said Alabama Advisory Council on Gaming will assess the current state and local laws on gambling and practices in other states. The council will make recommendations to the governor and legislative leaders ahead of the 2017 legislative session.

VictoryLand Casino is expected to reopen today, more than three years after state authorities raided it and shut it down.

Owner Milton McGregor announced last month that VictoryLand would have a soft reopening on September 13. At that time, he said the bingo parlor would hire around 200 employees and would have around 500 electronic bingo machines for patrons. He says the casino plans to expand over the coming months.

The state of Alabama is resting its case in the impeachment trial of Sumter County Sheriff Tyrone Clark.

The Montgomery Advertiser reports yesterday’s testimony revolved around the relationship between Clark and one particular Sumter County inmate. A deputy reportedly testified the inmate had the passcode to the jail’s surveillance system and was frequently allowed to drive Clark’s truck without supervision.

Alabama is drying out and cleaning up from tornadoes that hit Christmas night. Flooding is also a concern as the state heads toward the New Year’s holiday.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-0 tornado hit Tuscaloosa County Friday afternoon with winds of seventy five miles per hour. Two hours later, a confirmed EF-2 twister touched down in suburban Birmingham. That storm is confirmed to have damaged more than 70 structures, from minor damage to total destruction.

A 277-acre site in Macon County is the first in Alabama chosen as a CSX Select Site.

Officials announced the selection Monday. CSX started the Select Site program last year to work with economic developers to create a list of sites that are ready for development and that have direct rail service by CSX. The railroad screens potential sites with a site selection consulting firm. A senior location consultant with that firm, Jonathan Gemmen of the Austin Co., says the Macon County site near Notasulga is close to Interstate 85, Auburn University and Tuskegee University.